Today we’d like to introduce you to Juliana Henao.
Hi Juliana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I hear people talk about what they dreamt of being when they grew up, I wonder why they never pursue those dreams. All my life, I had one dream, do music, be a singer. It was a crazy and difficult dream most parents wouldn’t even allow their kids to have. But my parents were different and gave me the most precious gift I could ever ask for. Ever since I can remember, music was part of my life, and all I wanted to do, I can’t remember a single time of my life where I wasn’t doing music. When I was three years old, my parents signed me up to a musical academy, and that shaped my life forever. I started taking different lessons. I learned piano, guitar, theory, and most importantly I became part of the choir. Being part of this choir gave me the most amazing experiences in my life. Every day I would go to school, and after that I would take my classes, even on Saturday’s, and a lot of times on Sunday’s. Instead of going out or doing sports, I spent my weekends singing at different events. And somehow, this hobby became my passion and life.
I could spend hours remembering those great times, and I would never be over, so I will highlight the important things it gave me and how they brought me to where I am now.
Spending all those hours doing what you love, with people who loved it like you, gave me the best friends I could ever ask for, we became a family and together we traveled the world and worked very hard to have the best quality we could. Discipline and dedication are the words that come to mind and remained with me. At 10, I went to Europe and sang with the Vienna Children’s Choir at the Musikverein. How fortunate. We sang in Italy, France, and went to a festival in Spain where we won 2 prices. We also traveled to Ecuador, and for being part of this community, I traveled to Venezuela and France with a choir of people of Latin America. Lastly, we traveled to China to the World Choir Games and won 3 medals competing against choirs of all over the world. These were dreamt experiences I cherish in my heart.
All of this happened while I was at school, and when I graduated, it was crystal clear, I wanted to keep doing music. Music moved me because it has the power to connect people all over the world despite their differences, and I wanted to create this.
I decided to study music production and I started a soloist career. For the first time, I wasn’t part of a choir, I was on my own writing songs and sharing my feelings with the world. I started going to radio stations, making concerts and even traveled to Argentina to promote my music. I was working towards my dreams and had no idea something unexpected was awaiting me. While doing this, I was teaching music. Teaching is a huge passion in my life. And I got an offer to teach music production, I was very excited for this new adventure, and when I started it, I realized it wasn’t only music production it was actually post-production sound.
For the first time, I was hearing words like Foley and ADR. I was terrified because I didn’t know much about it, but I had the job, so unafraid of a challenge, I began watching videos of sound designers and teaching myself, and I fell in love.
I was reminded of my passion for entertainment. Every year I watch every film nominated to an Academy Award, and I keep notes with all the different shows I watch because they’re too many to keep track. My previous experiences had focused on music, and I realized there were more elements, and I was missing on a huge part. Suddenly I understood how they fit together and how sound has the power to bring worlds to life, tell stories, and influence audiences.
Flash-forward, I decided to leave my career as a singer and pursue sound design. This led me to pursue an MFA in sound design and move to the United States. I decided I wanted to explore a new future. From day one, I started working on every possible project to get more experience and become a better sound editor and be as prepared as possible for the professional world. This led me to more unexpected journeys, I made a documentary about women in sound. A thing I never even dreamt of doing, directing and producing. I finished my MFA in November 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, and moved to LA to keep following my dream of doing sound for film and tv.
Now the little girl who would spend her weekends singing is following a different kind of path, but one that fulfills and excites me every day.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think pursuing a career in the arts is easy or smooth, it’s hard to get started and make a living out of it, but it’s worth it. I could say things have been as smooth as they can be for me, but I have had to fight and work really hard to get to where I am today.
Moving to the United States and leaving my life behind wasn’t an easy choice, but it was what I had to do in order to work in what I wanted to. The film industry in Colombia is not as big as it is here so it’s harder to get opportunities. Leaving my family, my boyfriend, my friends, my comfort, and everything I knew behind was hard, and I still wish I could have them close to me.
Being an immigrant brings a lot of challenges, I had less resources for everything, even the most basic needs, and I certainly had to learn how to do things the way they’re done here. Despite being in the same continent the culture is different and I wasn’t in the same position I was back in my country. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices and compromises. There had been days where I’ve questioned if this was the right decision, if in the end it’ll be worth it, or if I will be able to fulfill my dreams a 100%. I can’t know for sure, but I feel everything I’ve done has taken me to the right place and things are getting easier and smoother every day. I’m definitely enjoying my life here and being able to do what I love.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do sound for different media like podcasts, tv, and film. I specialize in dialogue editing and Foley, but I enjoy working on every part of sound. From recording voiceovers, or ADR, or dubbing, to editing sound effects and mixing. I’m known for that, and also for the documentary I did about women in sound. This is the project I’m most proud of because I never, in my wildest dreams thought I would ever make a film, and when I decided to do it, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to. But I was and I’m very proud of the final outcome and how well it is doing.
This represents what sets me apart from others. I will follow my dreams, tackle challenges, and always find a way to make things happen, even if it seems impossible. I love to learn new things, and I’m always trying to improve my skills.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a very outgoing and happy kid. I was very curious about life and interested in making friends. I loved music, and I spent most of my time doing it. I was very dedicated and responsible. I loved to eat vegetables and fruits, which made things very easy for my parents. I loved astronomy and Egypt. I really enjoyed reading and going to the movies. And I always had a smile on my face and a positive attitude.
Contact Info:
- Email: julianahenaomesa@gmail.com
- Website: https://julianahenaomesa.wixsite.com/portfolio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianahenaosound/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMiQr1CtTnU
- Other: https://listentousdoc.wixsite.com/about/about
Image Credits:
Ashwin Gokhale
